


Test of Time

by malum_animi



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: F/M, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Past Sexual Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-08
Updated: 2015-01-09
Packaged: 2018-03-06 17:59:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3143480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malum_animi/pseuds/malum_animi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amanda hasn't been in Dean's life since he left Cincinnati. She didn't begrudge him for it, glad her best friend had made it in the business he always longed to be apart of. But that didn't mean she didn't miss him, watching him on TV two nights a week wasn't really the same after all. So when the WWE rolls into Cincinnati, Amanda is sure to get a front row seat. </p>
<p>Dean's life since getting signed to the WWE has been a whirlwind. Tossed onto the main roster as part of The Shield, he's done things and met people he had only dreamed of as a child. He's happy for the first time in years, even if The Shield is no more, one brother hates him and the other barely has time to speak to him. A house show in his hometown was just a blip on the radar as far as he was concerned. Until he looked out over the crowd and saw a face he hadn't seen since he'd shed the name Jonathan Good.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_August 12th, 1997_

The first time Amanda Kittson had seen Dean Ambrose ( Jonathan then, and some part of her would always know him as Jonathan ) he was beating the shit out of three guys who had tried to gang up on her. She had no idea where they came from, but they had pulled her into the alley on her way to school, pinning her to the dirty brick wall and smirking down at her. She was ten. Dean had come out of no where too, she hadn't even seen him step into the alleyway until one of the guys was being slammed up against the wall, the skinny boy beating away on him. Amanda never knew if the other two had recognized Dean or had simply run away out of surprise. Dean and smirked and wiped the blood off his split lip before turning to her with a crooked grin, holding his hand out to help her up from where she had fallen to the ground during the fight.

Amanda brushed her skirt off, frowning a little at the newest hole near the hem and gave Dean a small smile, blowing a strand of dark hair out of her face "Thank you." she mumbled, looking down. Kids didn't really talk to her, in the east end of Cincinnati, among the gangs, drug dealers, and prostitutes, people had better things to do than notice a too skinny beat up little girl like her.

"No problem." Dean had muttered, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his ratty jeans and rocking back and forth on his heels. Nerves, Amanda realized, she had seen her dad act the same way before he had split, trying to find a way to confess to her mother that he'd spent their check on drugs again. "Jonathan." he said suddenly, sticking his hand out in greeting.

Amanda blinked down at his hand for a moment before she reached out and wrapped her hand around his, squeezing gently "Amanda." she said, her lips quirking up into a small smile as she pulled her hand back. "Do you...do you go to school here?" she asked, nodding at the school just across the street.  
  
He nodded and glanced over his shoulder, wrinkling his nose as he stared at the building. "Unfortunately." he mumbled, shrugging his shoulders a little. He bit down on his lip and grinned at her "Want me to walk you in?" he asked.  
t  
Amanda slowly returned the grin and nodded, the last bit of fear she had felt from getting cornered slipping away as he held out his arm.

No one bothered her that day.

 

_December 16th 2007_  
  
The last time Amanda Kittson saw Dean Ambrose ( Jon Moxley now, he reminded her with a smirk, tugging his leather jacket on ) she was helping him load his old, half broken down car up with whatever belongings he'd deemed worth enough to take with him. It wasn't a lot, and he probably didn't even need her help at all, but she was his best friend, and that's what best friends did. She didn't quite know what to feel right now. On one hand she was more than proud of him, he was going to get a chance to prove himself, to go after a goal that neither of them were sure he would ever reach. He was rambling on as he was prone to do, making promises to come back and visit her as often as he could that she knew he wouldn't keep. She didn't blame him either, Jonathan and Cincinnati just didn't mix anymore, not that it ever really did to begin with. His mother was dead and his father locked up for life and Amanda was really the only thing that had kept him here this long.

She wasn't going to tell him that though, he was still riding that high that had kicked in as soon as he realized he was getting a chance to get out of the city, even though he was simply trading one big city for another.

"Are you sure you have everything?" she asked, interrupting his ramble, which had shifted from promises to what he was going to do once he got to Philly.

Jonathan grinned at her, and nodded, his hair flopping into his eyes as he bounced in place impatiently. "I'm sure. I checked twice and you went through my things three times remember?" he asked, reaching out and tugging at a strand of her hair playfully.

Amanda chuckled and batted his hand away, reaching out to smooth his hair out of his face "I just want to make sure you're going to survive on your own that's all." she said when she dropped her hand "God only knows you have a hard enough time with me right here with you." she teased him.

Jonathan huffed and stuck his tongue out at her before he stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. squeezing her tightly and dropping a kiss to the top of her head "You really have been the reason I'm still kicking." he mumbled, tightening his hold on her for a few more moments before he let her go "I'm going to fucking miss you." he mumbled, scuffing his beat up boot against the blacktop.

Amanda hugged him back just as tightly and smiled against his chest, her smile widening when he let he go and she looked up at him "I'm going to miss you too. But you'll be alright, Nothing keeps Jon Moxley down for long." she said with a soft laugh, resting her hands on his chest for a moment.

"It's about time you remembered my name." he said with a chuckle, taking her hands in his and pressing a kiss to her knuckles before he looked down at the watch on his wrist "I gotta go honey, I'll be late if I wait any longer." he mumbled as he dropped her hands, stepping away to open the car door and slip inside, looking up at her with a smile "I'll call you when I get there okay?" he said.

Amanda swallowed hard and wrapped her arms around herself as she nodded a little. "Promise me you'll be careful. I don't want to hear about you dying on the side of the road or that you got killed because you pissed someone off." she said, leaning down and pressing a kiss to his cheek before she stepped away from the car and watched as he nodded and shut the car door.

"I swear." he said, throwing her one last crooked grin before he started the car and pulled out of the driveway, leaving Amanda to watch as her best friend of the last ten years drove out of her life .


	2. Chapter 2

_December 27th 2014_

 

Dean had honestly completely forgotten that they had a house show in Cincinnati on this holiday tour until Roman texted him at the crack of dawn the same day. He tended to forget the names of the cities they visited, too many to keep track of and it wasn't hard for him to miss the signs as they drove, since he was curled up in the back seat of a SUV while Renee drove. They had been riding together for a good while now, Dean not wanting to put up with the rest of the roster and Renee sick of riding with the Diva's. Granted, Dean was sure it wouldn't take long before she was sick of him too, but he wouldn't dwell on that right now. 

His phone started vibrating next to ear at a little after six in the morning and Dean groaned, letting out a string of mumbled curses as he fumbled for it and cracked his eyes open as the opened the message, raising a brow when he saw it was from Roman. They didn't talk like they use to, Roman too busy both still healing from his surgery and trying to become even better than he already was. Dean didn't hold it again him. His brother was talented, and if Roman getting the push he deserved meant his friendship with Dean withered, well Dean was perfectly alright with that. 

 

_You gonna be okay?_ The message read and Dean raised his brow again as he thumbed out a reply.

 

_Why wouldn't I be?_

 

_Because the show is in Cincinnati?_

 

Oh. Dean groaned and sat up, rubbing a hand over his face as he looked out the window. Yep. There was no mistaking it, he thought as he looked out over the passing land. They were definitely headed towards Cincinnati. He didn't know why he didn't think of this sooner. The last show had been in Ohio too so it only made sense that they were going to do the house show here too. 

 

_I'll be fine. Not the first time we've had a show here Rome_

 

Which was true, they had had shows here before. And Dean would just hole up into his hotel room with Roman and Seth and forget where he was.

 

_First time you've been alone._

 

Well. Roman certainly wasn't pulling any punches. 

 

_I'll be fine._

 

And with that Dean powered off his phone, tossing it down on the seat next to him and sighed, leaning his head back against the seat as he stared up at the roof. Sometimes he regretted ever telling Roman and Seth about his past. It wasn't something he liked to share with people but at the time he thought they were brothers, family. And that's what you did with family, you let them in.

 

He didn't have a family now. Sure he still considered Roman and Seth his brothers, he always would. But Seth sure as hell didn't see him the same way now--if he ever had at all-- and he wasn't entirely sure whether Roman still considered him family, but with the way things had been going since the split of The Shield, he wouldn't be surprised if all he was was a business partner to the Samoan as well. 

 

Dean was shaken out of his thoughts when Renee reached back and tapped him on the knee, smiling at him through the rear view mirror "We'll be at the hotel soon. Me and the twins are going out to get some dinner, do you want to come with?" she asked him. 

 

Dean managed to return the smile but he shook his head "Thanks for the invite sweetheart, but I think I'm just going to crash for a little while." he said, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his hoodie and curling in on himself some as he leaned against the car door. 

 

Renee gave him a look and sighed as she nodded "Alright but please make sure you get something to eat before the show okay?" 

 

Chuckling softly, Dean nodded and smiled at her--genuinely this time--"I will, don't you worry about me." he said, closing his eyes against the few beams of sunlight that were breaking through the clouds. He liked Renee, she was sweet, and nice to him. He had a sneaking suspicion though that Roman had asked her to keep an eye on him though, he had seen the two of them whispering together more that once since they had started riding together. 

 

It didn't take long until they were at the hotel and Dean hopped out of the backseat, grabbing both his and Renee's bags, waiting for her to check them both in before he walked her to her room. A kiss on the cheek and a short walk later and Dean was falling down into his bed with a huff, staring up at the beige ceiling. 

 

He didn't want to stay in his room alone for the seven hours he had before he could justify a pre-show work out. But he also wasn't keen on the idea of going out  and about in Cincinnati. While his immediate family was all either dead or locked up, he had no idea about the other people he knew as a kid. The last thing he wanted was to run into one of the dozens of people he had had a beef with as a teenager. If they would even recognize him. 

 

But he didn't have much choice, and he was going to go crazier than he already was if he stayed in the room by himself. So he rolled off the bed and looked in the mirror, running a hand through his hair in a attempt to tame it before he grabbed his hotel key and stalked out of the room, tugging his hood up over his head. 

 

He would get some breakfast and wander around town. After all, there were a few places in this godforsaken city that didn't hold bad memories for him. 

**Author's Note:**

> tbh all i know about where dean lived in his life is Cincy, Vegas, and Florida. So just...use your imagination.


End file.
